The Love of Another
by Shadow2700
Summary: Sometimes it takes love from someone you care for and someone who cares for you to bring you out of the depths of darkness. NaruSaku. I don't own Naruto. Complete.
1. Realization

_**"The Love of Another"**_

* * *

"Where is that baka? We were supposed to meet here today at ten." Sakura mumbled quietly leaning against a tree trunk. She had been waiting for thirty minutes for Naruto to show up but he was running late.

"Probably sleeping in as usual." Sakura mumbled as she looked up at the sky and watched the clouds pass by. The two were supposed to have a casual sparring session today, one that they really needed. Naruto had been bed ridden in the hospital for a week due to the injuries he had suffered in a recent mission. But they were injuries he said were glad that he had, because they were injuries that helped him prevent any more conflict of hatred.

"Baka, always the reckless one. Still, I can't help but admire his sacrifices." Sakura told herself as she smiled and walked away from her tree and out of the training grounds. She was growing tired of Naruto to show up to a session that she knew he needed to get his body back into tip top shape. After all, Tsunade had given him a week off of training and missions to heal. That week was up and he needed to get active again.

"It isn't like him to not be ready for a training session." Sakura commented to herself. And in truth Naruto had not been himself since the war had ended.

Then again, losing Sasuke was something that he had not taken well and still was attempting to get past. But it had to be done Sakura kept telling him and herself. What else could be done? Naruto had valiantly defended him to the end. But know it was different. He wasn't the same as he used to be. Four years on, he was still a lovable baka, but he's demeanor was different. In fact, Sakura had not seen him eat ramen for a week and only was able to get him to come out to the training grounds just on the off chance of seeing him yesterday around the village. That should have been a warning sign for her this time around.

"Well he's not skipping out on this." Sakura sighed as she hurried along back to the main village streets in search of the baka. Her hair blew in the wind quickly as she ran past the villagers, so quick actually that she didn't see Ino in her way. Colliding with her both fell to the ground in a heap, bodies bruised slightly.

"Come on Forehead, you need to watch where you're going." Ino remarked as she doesn't herself off.

"Shut up Pig, I'm in no mood to talk right now." Sakura growled dusting herself off as well and making sure everything was in place.

"Oh? And why are your panties in a bunch today?" Ino smirked at her.

"Don't say it like that Ino, and if you must know, that baka Naruto didn't show up for our sparring session today." Sakura explained simply.

"Well, if you're looking for him, I saw him walking down the road earlier today. But I got to say, he wasn't looking happy." Ino replied.

"Why are you saying that?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, he wasn't exactly responsive to anyone that he passed by. Any villager that came up to him looking to thank him, he simply blew them off. His head was hung low and he simply kept walking. He didn't even answer me when I saw him." Ino answered.

"He's still not over what happened in the war." Sakura sighed quietly brushing her hair slightly back.

"The war was four years ago, surely he's gotten over it by now." Ino inquired her friend. Sakura simply shook her.

"No, he hasn't. I know that you and the others of our class don't see it, but _I _do." Sakura tried to explain.

"What exactly do you see that we don't?" Ino asked Sakura with a little annoyance at the supposed insult to her surroundings.

"It's not an insult Ino, so you can stop making that face." Sakura retorted.

"I know that! Anyway, what are you talking about?" Ino asked again as the two women out to the side of the road.

"Listen, I know he may seem happy, but Naruto is very good at hiding his emotions from others. Have you noticed that he's more serious than he used to be?" Sakura asked.

"Well yeah, but who wouldn't be serious trying to fulfill his passed sensei's wishes? The guy isn't exactly someone to back down from a challenge." Ino reminded her.

"I know that Ino, but I see it in his actions. He's not the same person he used to be. He doesn't have the carefree emotion he used to have, but he's been able to hide it pretty well." Sakura explained. Ino however was annoyed at her friend's explanation though.

"Ok, let's say that you're right, then why haven't you or the Hokage tried to get him to open up?" Ino asked her, hands on her hips.

"Don't you think I've tried? But he's always saying nothing is wrong and every time I try, he just simply wants to change the subject. It's bad enough he's been holding this in four years after the war, but it's worse that he want open up to me of all people." Sakura replied crossing her arms.

"Well, if I didn't see it any clearer, I think that the problem is that he doesn't want to open up to _you._" Ino tried to guess.

"Are you serious or has your idiotic brain finally gotten to you? Why would he not want to open up to me?" Sakura asked in a pissed off tone.

"I'm the idiot?" Ino laughed quietly.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked Ino in the same angry tone.

"Sakura, you hold feelings for him keep them concealed and keep on waiting for no apparent reason. You feel guilty about what you said to him in the Land of Iron, you feel guilty for betraying his trust, you think you're a bitch and that he deserves better. You think he deserves Hinata and yet he hasn't done anything with her. In fact, he had talked to her and said that he simply didn't feel the same about her, long story short." Ino explained.

"I know that he told Hinata that. I know that Ino, and all the things you said are true, but what am I supposed to do? He won't open up to me and when I get around him, I can't tell him how I feel about him." Sakura waved her arms in frustration.

"Tell him, stop beating around the bush and tell like we've talked about. He hasn't made a move on _anyone_. What is that telling you right there?" Ino asked Sakura.

"It tells me he's got other things on his mind." Sakura replied.

"You keep telling yourself that Sakura. But let me ask you this, what exactly were you planning to do with this sparring session of yours? Because I know that you simply weren't trying to have a spar session with him." Ino replied.

"What do you think? Of course I was going to try and tell him, but he needed to get out to begin with. You saw him Ino, he's not himself and I thought that he could use our sparring session to begin with. For Kami's sake, I've been trying to get him out of this state for four years now. I've been trying to get my own feelings out as well but just can never get myself up to do it. I've used the old excuses of he's been busy and he has and the same with me. The last time I saw him before yesterday was three weeks ago and two weeks before that. I'm not letting him out of my sight like this again. He needs someone with him now." Sakura spoke with confidence in her voice.

"Good, I _hear_ the confidence, now I just need to see the _results_. Go find him and make him yours before I do. I'd rather not talk about more how you _want _to tell him and actually what you _do_ to him." Ino teased her with innuendo, causing Sakura to blush.

"Shut up! I will _never _say anything on such a personal level!" Sakura huffed out.

"You will once you actually do something with him." Ino replied with a smirk. Sakura simply sighed again at her friend's ever so subtle wording.

"I'm surprised you or the others haven't told Naruto how I feel. Thanks for keeping it quiet, I'd rather tell him on my own." Sakura smiled.

"It's no problem. Now go find him and tell him yourself. When I saw him last, he was walking in the direction of his house. I got to say, it's a big improvement over his old apartment." Ino remarked.

"Yeah, but I bet it's lonely in there too. Listen, I need to go find him before he does something to himself." Sakura spoke with urgency in her voice.

"Go, go, go then!" Ino shoved Sakura back onto the road who then turned and nodded before running off. Ino sighed quietly, hoping that she would finally tell the baka what she had wanted to say for years.

Sakura forced her legs to push themselves a little quicker with the knowledge that Naruto was possibly in a position to harm himself. Ok, that maybe a little excessive her mind told her.

'_He wouldn't do anything to himself…would he? Shit! I better move it now!' _Sakura raced onto the rooftops and kicked it into high gear. Her feelings began to take control over her body. She needed him in her life, she needed his warmth, and she needed him completely. Whatever had happened in the war, whenever she began to see him as something more she couldn't remember, but she knew she couldn't see herself without him in her life and that was all she needed to know.

It didn't take her long to get to Naruto's front door, but the house eerily dark and quiet. She turned the door handle just on the off chance that it was open since she didn't have a key to his home. The door clicked as the handle turned and she opened it, stepping inside.

"Naruto, are you here?" Sakura called out shutting the door behind her. The house was just as eerie and quiet on the inside as it was on the outside. Sakura began to walk slowly and examine each room out.

"Naruto?" she called out again poking her head in the living room.

"No sign of him here, Naruto?" Sakura called out again checking in his bedroom and his bathroom.

"Come on Naruto, I know you're here." Sakura called out to him again. She heard a clatter from the kitchen in the back of the house. She moved a little quicker to make sure that he was the source of the noise. She entered the doorway to find a horrifying sight. There sat Naruto near his kitchen table with around twenty empty sake bottles cluttered around it, his body slumped on the table, motionless.

"Naruto!" Sakura rushed over and checked for a pulse. She found that there was one there, and luckily not life threatening. She sighed in relief as it was simply a matter of making sure he didn't vomit in a way that would joke. But she was still thinking about what she actually saw before her eyes.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered sadly as she saw the state of the twenty year old man. She never would have thought he would turn to sake like this. And it made her wonder just how long he had actually been doing this without her knowledge.

'_Is he really that depressed that he's resulted to Jiraiya and Tsunade's old habits?' _She thought as she kneeled down and attempted to wake up the blond.

"Hey Naruto, it's Sakura, time to wake up." She told him, but to no avail. Right now, Naruto was deep in his own thoughts, having a conversation with his partner.

"_**You know that your favorite female is trying to wake you up right now." Kurama growled out.**_

"_I know she is, but I don't want to right now." Naruto replied._

"_**Any reason why you don't want to? She seems pretty concerned."**_

"_It doesn't matter does it? Right now I could care less. I just want to be alone."_

"_**And that's why you're down here talking to me?"**_

"_I feel like you're the only one that can understand me. I mean, you do live in my body after all."_

"_**Well if I were to make a suggestion, I wouldn't rely on me being good company."**_

"_Tell me about it."_

"_**What has brought on this sudden bought of depression in you Naruto?"**_

"_I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I haven't done enough to help the world. Sometimes I just feel really lonely, other times I just don't want to talk to anyone. I can't really explain it."_

"_**Have you tried explaining it to the girl smacking you awake?"**_

"_She wouldn't understand, she never has."_

"_**You may be surprised by just how much one person knows about you. Talking to me isn't going to help you get through this."**_

"_And you think she will? She doesn't care about me in that way anyways, only as a friend."_

"_**Ah, now it becomes clear. You've never told me this is what you think of her."**_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_**It's obvious. You feel she still harbors feelings for the Uchiha that you killed. And you feel like she can never forgive you."**_

"_More or less. Why would she want me after I did that to her? It's hard enough that I killed my best friend, but it's harder to know that I killed the one she loved."_

"_**Like I said, you may be very well surprised by what a person's heart holds. You were surprised when that Huuyga said she loved you. Yet you turned her down just as quick. You still harbor your own feelings the Haruno. Maybe you should express them."**_

"_I told you, she doesn't like me that way."_

"_**Well, we'll just have to see for ourselves. I suspect seeing you in this state may bring out her own feelings. And don't think that having me in your chakra system is going to help you recover from being intoxicated, I intend to let ring through slowly just to show you how bad you messed up."**_

"_Nice, you're saying I won't be able to be sober in an hour? Thanks for that Kurama."_

"_**Hey, it's to teach you a lesson. Don't follow in your sensei's or Tsunade's footsteps. Being drunk is overrated.**_

"_Not when it takes the pain away."_

"_**Whatever you say Naruto. Have fun."**_

"Come on Naruto, I need you to wake up! Please, please move!" Sakura tried shaking him, hoping that he had not drunk himself into a coma. Her fears were relieved when Naruto groaned quietly, slightly moving to signal he was awake. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"You baka, do you know how worried I was about you?" Sakura asked him cupping his cheek.

"Sorry…." Naruto grumbled, barely opening his eyes. "Bathroom…"

"What was that?" Sakura asked him to repeat a little clearer.

"Kurama…not let me sober…need to…puke…" Naruto mumbled a little clearer. Sakura nodded and instead of helping him up, grabbed the nearest trash can in his kitchen and placed it in front of him.

"If you need vomit, do it in here first before we move." Sakura instructed him. Naruto groaned loudly before violently chucking up his food and sake from his stomach. Sakura could only rub his back gently and watch in sorrow in the state that he was in. A few minutes passed by before Naruto felt himself momentarily relieved of his need to vomit.

"Ok, let's get you into bed." Sakura said, gently helping him to his feet. Naruto clearly was beyond intoxicated as he stumbled even with her assistance. While she led the way to his bedroom, Sakura couldn't believe someone could drink so much sake, but this was Naruto after all. Still, the amount he had consumed was beyond normal limits so she would have to say with him.

"Here you go, lay down." Sakura ordered as she pulled back the covers and helped him into bed. Naruto groaned quietly as he continued to feel the effects of the sake.

"Kurama…you better hope…better hope I don't get better…" Naruto mumbled out loudly enough for Sakura to hear.

"You better hope he heals you after I get through with you." Sakura scolded him as she went his bathroom to get a bucket and fill it with water.

"Wouldn't…be the first time." Naruto mumbled clear enough for Sakura to hear over the running faucet. Those words, those five simple words did remind her of what she could be like. It hurt her to hear him say that, but under the effects of twenty bottles of sake, she was sure he wouldn't remember later on. She returned to his bedside and placed the bucket next to him.

"When you need to vomit, use this." Sakura instructed him.

"Why don't you just use your medical jutsu to help the process?" Naruto reminded her.

"I can try, but if what you're saying about Kurama is true, then he may not let me." Sakura replied back.

"Well, I'm not speaking terms with him right now. He's blocked my path until I'm sober." Naruto groaned out in mumbles. Sakura sighed as she began to focus chakra into her hands. Placing them on his stomach, she attempted to release some of the alcohol and discomfort.

"You don't seem that drunk right now. You're able to speak in complete sentences so maybe he's lifted some of it off." Sakura offered a tad of comfort to him.

"Still feel dizzy though."

"Ok, maybe not. Listen, I'm going to stay with you until all of this out of your system." Sakura explained to him.

"You don't have to do that you know. You've got more important things to do that to look after me." Naruto replied feeling some the pain leaving his body.

"Nothing is more important than you right now Naruto. I can see what's going on with you and you need my help." Sakura explained as she reached over to the table for a water bottle she had brought with her. She opened it and helped guide it to his lips. "Drink of this to help flush out your system."

Naruto obeyed her command and took five large gulps of water before stopping for air. If he was sober, he would have been able to resist it and send Sakura home, but right now, he was too weak. Sakura heard the unmistakable sound of a stomach gurgling. Naruto began to choke slightly, holding back the contents of his stomach momentarily.

Sakura reached over for the bucket and placed it on his lap. Naruto didn't waste any time as he headed into it and vomited again. Most woman in this situation would be sick themselves, but Sakura was a trained medic and deeply worried friend for him. She sat by rubbing his back as he continued to vomit and clear out his system.

'_He's going to be in a world of pain later when he's sober.'_

"I'm sorry." Naruto handed the bucket back to her after five minutes of unsettling movements. Sakura took the pale from him.

"You don't have to be sorry, it's fine. Just wait here a minute while I clean this out." Sakura stood from the chair she had brought in and went to the bathroom. The sound of running water filled Naruto's ears as he laid in bed.

'_Why would she help me?' _Naruto thought as he found himself falling into a deep sleep.

Sakura returned back with the pale freshened out to find that he had fallen asleep in his bed.

"That baka, he can't fall asleep, at least until his system is cleared. Well, let me see if he's under any threat to vomit again." Sakura told herself as she channeled chakra into her hands and examined his stomach again. It was a good thing that she had learned from her days with Tsunade, especially since she wasn't any better with drinking habits, but at least she was experienced. She found his stomach was under no threat and was happy.

"Good, at least he won't choke. But he still looks uncomfortable." Sakura commented as she watched him sleep. He had the movements of someone with a nightmare. The kunoichi sighed returning to the kitchen to clean up the sake bottles and such. As she threw the bottles in the trash she found one that had a fair amount of sake still left over.

"Oh what the hell." Sakura shrugged and took a quick sip of it, something that she regretted.

"Holy shit! What the hell? This stuff is more potent than what Tsunade drinks. What proof is this?" Sakura said as she turned the bottle. She almost gasped at the number she saw, a number that she rather not see again.

"I can't believe he would drink _that_ potent sake. He's out of his mind drinking just one bottle, but twenty?" Sakura asked herself as she poured the contents down the drain and threw the last bottle in the trash.

She grabbed a bottle from his kitchen cupboard and filled it with water for Naruto have later on. She felt so sad that he had turned to alcohol, and such a potent one at that. He really needed her now. Sakura wiped away a tear from her eye as she took the bottle and returned to the bedroom to find Naruto still moving in his sleep.

Sakura decided to be a bit bold and knew that she had to force herself to confess her feelings towards him. Pulling the covers back, she crawled into bed with him and placed herself behind him. The way her heart raced at such intimate contact made her feel weird, but warm. Spooning next to Naruto was something that she had envisioned herself for the last few years, but to actually have it happen was a different experience.

Sakura pulled Naruto close to her, placing his head just underneath her chin. She kissed the top of his head and wrapped her arms around his waist. She wasn't tired by any means, but she was relaxed and she was content. Maybe she should stay like this when he wakes up.

Two hours passed by as the two shinobi lay together with the sun still up in the bright sky.

The moment though that Naruto began to sir, Sakura quietly removed herself from his warmth and took a seat in her chair. Naruto opened his eyes and groaned has he lifted himself up slightly, only to find Sakura was still with him.

"Why are you helping me, Sakura?" he mumbled out falling back on the bed.

"Do I really need to say why Naruto? I care about you, I want to make you aren't hurt." Sakura spoke gently while brushing his hair back.

"Why would you do that when I've done nothing but hurt you?" Naruto mumbled back not facing her. Sakura watched his eyes as they dulled slightly in sadness. Apparently her techniques and the water were working their magic as he seemed to already be sober…ish.

"_**Don't take this for granted Sakura. I should be teaching him a lesson, but I think you're a better help than I am."**_

Sakura whipped her head around at the low voice, wondering where in the hell it came from.

"_**You shouldn't be afraid. It's just Kurama, otherwise known as the Kyuubi."**_

"_How in the hell are you talking to me?"_

"_**Don't worry about that. Sometimes I can finagle my way into another's mind when they truly need it. All I have to say is that you're a bigger help to him than I am. So help him."**_

Kurama disappeared from her mind just as quickly as he had appeared. Sakura wasn't sure what to think in that instant whether or not she liked that ability of his. She would worry about that later though as she turned back to Naruto. She saw tears roll down his eyes betraying him.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Sakura asked him with a gentle voice.

"I couldn't…I couldn't save them." Naruto replied quietly.

"Who?" Sakura asked, but already knew part of the answer.

"I couldn't save Sasuke, or Jiraiya, or mom, or dad. I had the chance and I couldn't, I couldn't…" Naruto sobbed staring out of his window. He must have been dreaming about the people he couldn't save she concluded.

"Naruto…" Sakura ran her fingers through his hair.

"And you, I hurt you. I couldn't save Sasuke for you, even if you said the promise was lifted from me. I know you wish I had." Naruto sobbed quietly.

"Have you had episodes like this before? Have you been drunk like this before?" Sakura asked him. Naruto didn't answer right away, but eventually nodded.

"A few times." He replied. Sakura sighed quietly, grasping his hand in hers.

"Naruto, I wish Sasuke could have been saved but not for the reasons you think. I wanted him to be saved to be returned to us, but I know he didn't want saving. He left on his own and walked his own path. And as much as I wish that your parents and Jiraiya were still alive, but they aren't and there was no way you could've saved them and you know it." Sakura forced him to look at her. Naruto's eyes were red from the tears.

"And you have to stop with this attitude of yours. I know it's hard and you've been able to handle it for four years, but it's been eating at you lately. I've seen it without you knowing it. I know you Naruto, better than anyone else."

"It doesn't mean anything though." Naruto replied back. Sakura didn't want to hear any more of it. She felt her heart read to burst. It wasn't right to keep holding herself back, but it wasn't right to him either. He had suffered for four years; he had suffered alone and cold. What that war did to him, the joy it took away from him eyes, from his voice. She wanted it back.

"Naruto, it means everything to me when you're hurting. It means the man that I care for is hurting and I need to help him. But it means that I need to tell you something too." Sakura told him as she lifted him up from the bed.

"What are you doing Sakura?" Naruto asked her as she took his hand.

"Come sit with me ok? I need to really tell you something." Sakura led him into the living room and onto the couch. Naruto wasn't sure what to make of this but something told him that it was big.

"Sakura was is this all about?" Naruto asked her.

"Listen Naruto, I don't want you interrupting me while I say what I need to say." Sakura explained. Naruto nodded in response.

"Alright, the transformation I've seen from you has both inspired me, but has also shown me just how much the war has affected you. It's been four years but I see the look in your eyes, the way you walk and talk to others. I know that from others you seem fine, but I know you better than that. I know you're suffering right now and I know that you need someone to help because you want to keep everything inside."

"But…"

"Shh…" Sakura placed a finger to his lips. "I know you don't want to worry others, but not when you're like this. No one can keep their emotions inside them like this without consequence and that's what I've seen. I never thought I would see you drink like this, and I feel like that part of it's my fault too. I kept myself from saying the things I needed to say, to be someone for you to come to, to open up. I had my self-doubts about myself and what it meant to care for someone like I do for you. It isn't right that we deny ourselves each other and I know it's time to finally come clean. It's taken too long for me to tell you something that I've kept from you."

Sakura grasped his face in both her hands and smiled at him and leaned in placing a gentle kiss to his lips. Naruto's eyes widen as she quickly pulled away from him and continued to smile at him as she watched his eyes lighten up.

"I love you."

"Wha…what?" Naruto stuttered out.

"I said I love you, something that I've held in for the last few years. I had my own doubts about how I felt and how you felt. I didn't deserve your love and I still don't feel like I do, but I want to show you I love you. And I know you still feel the same for me…right?" Sakura asked him as she rubbed her palms against his cheeks. Naruto looked away from her.

"I don't, I don't know what to say. For so long, I always thought that you loved Sasuke, that I was nothing more than a friend. Even when I had a woman who loved me, I couldn't return her feelings for her, because there was someone else. But I could never have her, and in some way, after what you did to me in the Land of Iron, I doubted if I felt the same. But I still found myself dreaming of you, wallowing in my own misery with it. That war, that fucking war, did things to me that I've fought with ever since. I held in my emotions, I fought them back as long as I could and then I almost lost." Naruto replied back before turning to face her.

"But you came back, to me to help me. You came back to me when I doubted myself. And now you've told me the thing I was always wanted to hear…and I still wonder what's real. I wonder if what you say is real, if your hands shaking are real, and then I look into your eyes and I see it, that it's true. And I love you too." Naruto smiled leaning back in to taste her cherry lips again. Sakura smiled as she kissed back and pushed him onto the couch returning the gesture, losing track of time as fifteen minutes passed by. She pulled away and looked into his eyes, smiling the entire time.

"You know I felt you spooning up against me." Naruto commented to her. Sakura tilted her head in amusement.

"Really? And you didn't take that as a sign of my feelings?" Sakura asked him in return.

"Honestly, I thought part of it was an illusion. But something else told me different." Naruto replied.

"_**It was me clearing out your system, you can thank me later."**_

"_I'll deal with you later."_

"_**You're welcome." Kurama grinned in response.**_

"Apparently Kurama did clear my system after all. I don't get drunk easily." Naruto rest his hands just above her waist.

"Yeah, well drinking the type of sake you had would put down Tsunade in one bottle. I'll have to tell her about this later, you could drink her under the table." Sakura smiled as she loved the feeling of his strong hands on her waist, slightly squeezing her hips resting just above her supple backside. She took it as an invitation, but knowing Naruto he was still a bit naïve, even at twenty.

"Let's say we skip the sparring session and go get some ramen? You're looking a lot better already." Sakura suggested to him.

"I'm surprised that you would suggest such a thing when I'm still getting over drinking that much." Naruto smirked back at her.

"Well, I think Kurama may have had something to do with that. But if you aren't feeling up to ramen, maybe we could do something else?" Sakura suggestively poked her finger into his chest.

"What do you have in mind?" Naruto asked her kissing her lips again.

"Well, we could go back to our little make out session, get some ramen, and come back and see where the day takes us." Sakura suggested with a smirk of her.

"Are you sure that you want to go down that road? I'm not sure that being with me is such a good idea." Naruto replied, expressing some of his self-doubt.

"I made up my mind a long time ago Naruto, and I want to go down that road with you. No matter what." Sakura kissed him again. Naruto didn't know what to say, he was happy though, happier than he had been in a long time. It seemed that his pain washed away. Sakura had pulled away and smirked at him again.

"So Mr. Suddenly Happy, I'm giving you two choices. Choice one involves an afternoon lunch between us to help get your stomach back to normal, but I think you'll be good anyway. Choice two involves your bedroom, minus clothing and a lot of "physical" training." Sakura trailed her hands down his stomach and rested just above his waist. Naruto felt his heart race.

"Well, since you're the medic and you seem to know me so well, I'll let you make the choice." Naruto offered, knowing which option she would probably choose.

"If you were looking forward to ramen, I'm sorry to say that's not the choice I'm making." Sakura smirked guiding his hands to cup her backside. Naruto blushed slightly, but gave her a little squeeze.

"Choice number two it is." He replied quietly.

"Get those clothes off and get in that bedroom Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura smirked as she pulled his hand racing to the bedroom.

* * *

**A/N: This something that I came up with while working on my final and decided to go ahead and put up. I usually do more age canon pieces but I wanted to try something different this time and felt the twenty year old area would turn out good. It's hard to write out a story like this because you sometimes want to include more a buildup, but with the way it's plotted in the beginning, the buildup wasn't as necessary. It's more about what war can do to someone, and what the love of another can do. And honestly, I wanted this one to be solely about Naruto and Sakura, Ino just happened to work her way into it. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. Growth

"Wait, wait, wait, so you're telling me that the brat here could drink me under the table?" Tsunade busted it out laughing, hitting her desk with each laugh. Sakura rolled her eyes while Naruto laughed nervously.

"I'm not joking Lady Tsunade, Naruto here is a heavier drinker than you are. The only reason I'm even saying anything to show you what type of sake he was drinking while he was suffering." Sakura replied, making her case again.

"I don't care about that right now, there is no way in hell that you could make me believe Naruto could out drink me." Tsunade ceased her laughter and wiped her eyes. Sakura sighed and pulled the bottle she had kept with some of the Sake in it out of her bag.

"If you don't believe me, take a swig of this and check the proof number on it. I'm sure you'll believe me then." Sakura instructed her sensei to do.

"Alright, I'll humor you before we get to the matter at hand." Tsunade smirked as she opened the bottle. Sakura wasn't amused though, and very surprised her sensei wasn't taking this seriously.

"You shouldn't have made that remark about me drinking her under the table." Naruto whispered in her ear.

"I thought it might get her attention, but I guess she's too involved in her paperwork to see it right now." Sakura whispered back as she watched Tsunade put the bottle to her lips and take a gulp.

"What the hell?" Tsunade spit the sake back out.

"Told you so." Sakura smirked at her master.

"You really weren't kidding. Let me see the proof on this." Tsunade turned the bottle over and immediately fell out of her chair.

"Now do you believe me?" Sakura said in a coy tone, proud to upstage her master.

"I do, I do, but really? You were able to down twenty of these bottles in one day? What the hell were you thinking Naruto?" Tsunade slammed the bottle on her desk.

"Well, um….you see…" Naruto tried to stammer out. Sakura put a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Lady Tsunade, I told you, he's been depressed since the war ended. I don't like saying it blunt, but you or anyone else didn't see it. Only I did, but it took so long for me to actually help him and I regret it myself deeply. I just want Naruto to have an extra week off to help him get back to normal." Sakura requested.

"Alright, I get it. I should have done something myself, but Naruto, you know that we can't help you if you don't open up. I thought you would have realized that by now." Tsunade replied slightly upset with him.

"Well, you know me. Not the type of person to open up." Naruto laughed nervously.

"That doesn't matter, if Sakura hadn't done something about this, who knows what would have happened? What if Kurama hadn't been able to help you? This type of Sake kills a lesser man, much less a man with a demon contained in him." Tsunade reminded him.

"Don't call him a demon!" Naruto shouted, pointing his finger at her. Sakura's eyes widen slightly at the sudden outburst. She was surprised that Tsunade hadn't already punched his lights out for talking back.

"Don't you DARE call him a demon! Kurama is a living being that deserves respect just as much as I do!" Naruto seethed in anger. Tsunade studied the man in front of her, beginning to grasp just how much trouble he really was in.

"I see you care for him deeply. I apologize for that Naruto, just calm down ok?" Tsunade smiled as walked over to him and grasped his shoulders. Naruto slowed his breathing and closed his eyes to relax.

"Good, now since you've have some lingering issues since the war, I want Sakura to stay with you and help you as she is clearly the best person for the job." Tsunade instructed as she went back to her desk.

"You have an extra two weeks off to mend yourself and begin progress. Sakura, I've trained you well and you know how to help him. Stay with him night and day and help him, in any way possible. Dismissed." Tsunade instructed. Naruto and Sakura nodded in response and led themselves out of the door and out of the Hokage Tower. The two remained silent for a good while as they trudged themselves down a quiet dirt road.

'_I want to ask him so many things, but Tsunade trained me for this and I know he needs to understand what exactly she wants him to do.' _Sakura thought to herself before grasping his hand gently. Naruto turned to see the contact and looked up at her. Sakura smiled back at him before she leaned into him. Naruto smiled in return focusing back on his own thoughts.

'_The slightest touch, the slightest feeling of warmth can always begin the healing process.' _Sakura spoke Tsunade's teachings. Sakura waited a little longer, walking back into the village and seeing Ichiraku in the distance. Here was a good chance to help him along.

"Hey, remember the ramen I promised you?" Sakura asked him.

"Well, I remember _something_ but it wasn't ramen." Naruto smirked back at her, earning a jab in the wrist.

"Baka, don't mention that in public, that's private." Sakura whispered, or rather growled.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry." Naruto apologized, chuckling nervously.

"Good, now how about we get some ramen to settle that stomach of yours, not to mention I don't like all the people staring at us." Sakura suggested, pulling him along to the flaps.

"But I thought you would like people staring at us, I thought you would want that." Naruto replied inquisitively.

"Yes, yes, but I'm still a shy person too you know. I don't always want us to be looked at constantly." Sakura replied.

"Well, give it time. The fame I earned was a little much at first, but it died down eventually and it became a more mutual respect. Now it's only the kids that demand autographs and give praise. Soon this will die down and it'll be nothing but respect." Naruto explained.

"Ok, either you've already made a full recovery, or you've switched into a happy mood for the day." Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"I wouldn't say that." Naruto replied.

"Come on; let's get you some beef ramen." Sakura pulled him inside the tent. The pair took a seat in the center beside each other, as Ayame appeared from out of the back.

"Oh hey Naruto! I see you've brought Sakura with you." She greeted happily.

"Yeah, well, I think we're more than that now." Naruto smiled in response.

"You _think_, after last night?" Sakura questioned him in a threatening tone.

"You're right, we are more than friends now." Naruto corrected himself.

"Well, I'll be, so you finally made a move on her." Ayame crossed her arms and smiled at the couple.

"It was more her making a move on me." Naruto explained to her.

"Oh really? I'm surprised that Sakura here made that move. About time too, I'm not sure how much longer Naruto was going to be a single man with all the women going after him." Ayame joked with the two.

"And would you be one of these women?" Sakura growled quietly.

"Calm down, jeez. Yes, I was. It's not the strangest thing to see an older woman and a younger man. But you have to admit Sakura, he's quite the looker and of course being the savior of the world doesn't hurt either. But at least you finally made the move on him, he wasn't going to be single for much longer." Ayame laughed in response.

"Not exactly Ayame, I wasn't actively looking for any girl to be with. I had other…issues." Naruto subjected.

"Besides, I wouldn't have let it happen on my watch. No one takes my man, _no one._" Sakura gave an evil smile to Ayame, covering her own emotional outburst thinking about what Naruto had just said.

"Yeah, Sakura, that doesn't work on me. Besides, I knew you'd do something and get him eventually. So no need to threaten me now. Anyway, the usual for you Naruto?" Ayame turned back to face the pots and pans.

"Yeah and…wait, what do you want Sakura?" Naruto asked her.

"Just give me what he's having, I don't mind." Sakura replied in return.

"Are you Sakura? I know you like to watch your figure." Naruto reminded her.

"Usually yes, but this is about you for now. Besides, you don't mind if I gain a few pounds do you?" Sakura asked him in response. Naruto was dumbfounded.

"Ok, are you the real Sakura or an imposter?" Naruto asked with a glare. Sakura only laughed in response.

"Just get me the same thing Ayame." Sakura spoke over the counter.

"You got it." Ayame called back as she stirred the pot around. Naruto continued to look over at Sakura, still seeped in deception.

"Are you _sure _you're Sakura?" Naruto asked her again.

"Baka, shut up before I make you remember it's me." Sakura warned him. Naruto looked at her closely one more time before nodding and then grasping her hand. Sakura smiled back at him, thanking him silently as she ran her thumb gently over his hand.

"Hey Ayame, I'm guessing you dad isn't in today?" Naruto asked her, changing the subject.

"Yeah he's a little sick right now so I'm running the shop." Ayame replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. When you see him, tell him I hope he gets better." Naruto answered back.

"I will and thanks for your concern Naruto." Ayame smiled back before placing two bowls of steaming ramen in front of the pair.

"Eat up you two." She added.

"Thank you." The couple replied in unison before digging in. Ayame giggled at the pair.

'_Even their replies are in synch with each other.' _She thought before turning back to clean some dishes.

Naruto surprisingly didn't eat his ramen at such a high rate as he used to, something that concerned Sakura. Yes, they hadn't eaten ramen together in a long time, but even she knew this was an unusual behavior for him.

"Naruto…um, why are you eating yours so slowly? That isn't exactly you." Sakura questioned him. Naruto slurped up a noodle quickly before answering.

'_Ok, he still has some habits.'_ Sakura thought.

"Well, I just began to realize that eating so much of the stuff wasn't the best thing for me. The last time I had a checkup, it was by a different medic than you, but she didn't give me the usual results. She said that my sodium intake was too high." Naruto explained.

"You, high sodium? No…" Sakura mocked.

"Very funny, anyways, when I told her my diet, she almost fainted then and there. After about five minutes of lecturing, she told me that it was better to enjoy the taste of it, and not the volume of it. So I gave it a try and wouldn't you know it, she was right." Naruto smiled back.

"That's what I've been telling you for years!" Sakura shouted back at him.

"I know, but the reason I even went to the doctor in the first place was because of a lack of energy and I knew that wasn't right, knowing how much I have." Naruto explained.

"You, lack of energy? I can't even put those words in a sentence without almost fainting. So because of this medic, a _female _medic, like _me, _you finally listened?" Sakura replied in disbelief.

"Uh….yeah?" Naruto answered nervously. Sakura's head instantly hit the counter.

"Ayame, is this true?" Sakura asked.

"Yep, I was shocked too. But hey, he sometimes breaks habit and does it again. Otherwise, he's been good about it." Ayame smiled as she washed another pot.

"I should beat you into a pulp right now." She mumbled out hitting her against the counter and sighed in annoyance.

"Sorry?" Naruto apologized with a weak smile.

"It's fine. I supposed if she helped you get off eating so much of the stuff, then it's a good thing. But only if she didn't try to pull anything else!" Sakura shouted pointing a finger at him.

"I swear! She didn't!" Naruto waved his hands in self-defense.

"Good, now then, let's finish this up and enjoy the rest of our day, ok?" Sakura smiled sweetly, returning to her meal. Naruto nervously nodded, well reminded and reassured this was the real Sakura sitting next to him. The pair finished in about half an hour, taking their time and talking about various things that they had done in recent months before leaving the stand.

"Alright you two, don't be afraid to come back soon." She waved them off with a smile, the couple waving back as the exited the stand.

"Yo." A quiet voice came from beside them, scaring them half to death.

"Damn it Kakashi sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, clutching her chest.

"What's the matter Sakura? I thought you were supposed to be a shinobi." Kakashi remarked flipping a page in his Icha Icha Tactics.

"I am, but even I get scared when my old teacher decides to eavesdrop on our conversations." Sakura reprimanded him.

"But you two were so delved into each other that I didn't want to interrupt." Kakashi chuckled closing his book.

"Still…anyway, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked him.

"Well, the Hokage told me about you two and your current predicament. So I took it upon myself to help out in any way possible." Kakashi explained as the trio began to walk along the road in the market.

"Great, just what I need." Sakura sighed quietly.

"Sakura, I'm hurt. I thought you would like to have some time back as Team Seven again." Kakashi remarked. Sakura almost flinched at the comment, she quickly turned to Naruto.

"Team Seven died a long time ago." Naruto quietly replied looking down at the ground. Kakashi mentally cursed himself for that.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't mean…" Kakashi tried to apologize.

"It's fine, just don't mention it again." Naruto replied quietly as the three of them walked onto a more open area of the village that led to the forests.

"You know that living in the past is something that can be harmful." Kakashi reminded him.

"Says the man that has an eye from the past." Naruto turned back to him. Sakura was about to beat Kakashi into a bloody pulp.

'_Just when he was doing good, Kakashi has to fuck it up.'_ Sakura bitterly thought.

"Ok, both of you stop it. No more talk about any lectures on pasts and no more back talking to our sensei." Sakura instructed to Kakashi and then Naruto.

"She's right, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about the future." Kakashi suggested with a smile.

"I guess." Naruto replied looking up at the sky. Sakura shook her head again.

"Alright, you, talk to your sensei. You, talk to your student. I do not need anyone being depressed here right now. My job is make sure he gets better and that starts off with you two speaking." Sakura instructed the pair. Both nodded quietly before looking at each other.

"Good, I'll be over there readjusting my sandals." Sakura pointed over to the trees in the distance and storming off, leaving the two alone in awkward silence.

"I'm sorry." Naruto answered breaking it.

"Me too." Kakashi replied back.

"You know I don't mean to be like this." Naruto turned back and sat down next to a tree.

"I know Naruto, but you needed the help. War is a difficult thing, and it affects people in different ways. You used to be so mentally strong, able to withstand anything. But seeing what we saw, the living dead before our eyes, losing comrades left and right, those are the realities we face every day. It's just we saw a grand scale of that." Kakashi reminded him.

"I know that, but it isn't exactly the easiest thing to forget." Naruto replied.

"I'm not talking about forgetting Naruto. If I could forget the things that happened to me, I probably would, but I can't. So I use those memories to push myself forward. You taught me that with your ever unbreakable spirit." Kakashi replied. Naruto laughed quietly at the comment.

"I appreciate it that. I guess that it's going to take some time for me to understand everything." Naruto replied back.

"All in due time Naruto. But having Sakura along with you will go a long way. Especially since you two are a couple now." Kakashi remarked opening his book back open.

"So Tsunade told you about that as well?" Naruto chuckled.

"Yep and that brings up a personal question of my own. Did you two do anything last night by chance?" Kakashi smirked.

"That's no business of yours!" Naruto shot up and raised his fist in the air ready to strike him.

"Your reaction says it all. Well hey, at least now you get to see her that way anytime you want." Kakashi smiled poking fun at him.

"Oh really?" A voice appeared behind them, with the sound of knuckles being cracked in the air. Kakashi quickly turned around, his one visible eye widening in horror.

"If Naruto's reaction says it all, I wonder what _my _reaction will be like." Sakura growled with a vein throbbing in her forehead.

"Um Naruto, a little help if you don't mind?" Kakashi asked him, sweating bullets.

"You think I'm going to help you? HA! Serves you right, so if I were you, I'd run." Naruto suggested with a sly smile. Kakashi didn't hesitate as he quickly vanished in a swirl a leaves before Sakura could even land a punch.

"That son of a…I don't like people talking about that!" Sakura huffed crossing her arms.

"I'm sure you'll talk to Ino about it at some point. Don't let it get to you." Naruto replied standing up and gently rubbing her shoulders.

"Ino will not hear of this, no matter how hard she tries to get me to speak." Sakura replied turning around to face him.

"You will, but I won't say a thing." Naruto replied smiling back at her. Sakura couldn't help but smile back.

"Aren't you the one that's supposed to need help?" She asked him grabbing his hand and leading him back down the path.

"Well, you being here has already done that I think. I'm happier than I've been in a long time." Naruto commented.

"I'm glad to hear that, but you know that there's more to be done before I say you're one hundred percent back to normal." Sakura reminded him.

"I feel fine though." Naruto tried to convince her.

"Not unless I say so. Now how about we go back to your place and enjoy ourselves? Dinner time isn't for another four hours, at least for me." Sakura replied.

"Four hours, it's almost four in the afternoon. I thought you ate earlier than that?" Naruto questioned her.

"We can't eat at eight? I thought we'd spend the day just relaxing, talking, you know, just to get you a little relaxed." Sakura explained.

"Well what exactly did you have in mind?" Naruto asked her as they entered back into the village.

"You could tell me about some of the adventures you had while you were away, wait, maybe not." Sakura lamented on her decision.

"Why not?" Naruto replied.

"I don't want to remind you of Jiraiya." Sakura bluntly stated.

"I see." Naruto turned back and looked to see his home just a few blocks away.

"We could just stay in bed and sleep for the day." Sakura suggested.

"No, no, I like your idea. I've never really told anyone about those times. You'll be the first one to hear them." Naruto smiled back at her. Sakura could only return the gesture.

'_I hope it doesn't hurt him to talk about it. But it's what Tsunade taught.'_ Sakura thought as the pair arrived at his home.

Naruto led them inside where they began to talk for hours or rather Naruto did as Sakura simply listened to his tales. He conveniently left out some the instances where the old pervert tried to get him with a young woman. Sakura would kill him if he mentioned that. But the other stories he had amazed her, all the days of training, working, taking out other enemy shinobi. The kunoichi was admiring him greatly as he weaved a web of words.

"Sakura?" Naruto said.

"Yes?" she replied instantly.

"What do you plan to say when you tell your mom?" Naruto asked her nervously.

"I plan to say that I'm together with you and she has to let me go." Sakura stated bluntly.

"Is it really that simple?" Naruto asked her in disbelief.

"For me it is. Besides, Lady Tsunade said I had to stay with you anyways. This just makes it easier for me to move in with you." Sakura stated calmly.

"Wow, you sure are quick with her decisions. I hope I have some room to argue at some point." Naruto chuckled quietly.

"What, so you _don't _want me to move in?" Sakura replied with a smirk.

"No, no, I'm just surprised you wanted to move so fast." Naruto replied running a hand through his hair.

"You should know me by now Naruto. Besides, I've thought about this for a very long time and if I had said something sooner, I would have done the same thing. So there's no point in arguing about it." Sakura smiled back leaning into his chest from their place on the couch. Sakura felt content here on his chest. But when she felt a yawn come from his chest and his mouth, she decided that they needed, or he needed a more comfortable place to sleep. She grasped his hand and led him to the bedroom where he fell asleep almost instantly, but not before Sakura placed herself next to him.

'_I guess he really needed this. At least he's sleeping peacefully for the moment.'_

She wondered how well he had actually slept for the last four years. Sakura could only imagine that he had countless nightmares, probably much worse than what she had witnessed last night. The thoughts of him thrashing about and screaming awake at night haunted her. The way that he rested against the top of her bosom, how he nuzzled into her, almost looking for someone to hold showed what he needed. He clung to her like a lost child, something that saddened her deeply.

'_It isn't fair the way he lived. He deserved the love a mother and father. He deserves to have something in his life like that, but I can only give him my love.'_

Sakura soon found herself begin to fall asleep herself as she relaxed to his breathing. More time passed by as the sun completely set upon the village. The bed though creaked quietly as the blond awoke from his slumber, another bad dream haunting his mind. Naruto gently removed himself from Sakura's hold on him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked down at the floor with his hands hung in his lap, taking a deep sigh with him.

'_**You should go back to sleep.'**_

'_I can't, you know what my dreams are like Kurama.'_

'_**Yes, but this is the best sleep you've had in years. Sakura seems to really understand you and it's working.'**_

'_That doesn't mean that I still don't have the nightmares.'_

'_**You've had to eventually get past it like Kakashi said.'**_

'_I'm trying, but it isn't exactly easy to forget about the loved ones I've lost.'_

'_**I wish I could guide you to that answer Naruto, but I can't say any more than what I've told you.'**_

'_Moving on, trying to think of the good that came of it. I know, you've told me, but I can't. I just can't get past it.'_

'_**You can Naruto, it'll just take some time.'**_

'_I hope that time is soon.'_

'_**I'm sure it will be. And Naruto?'**_

'_Yeah Kurama?'_

'_**I appreciate what you said to Tsunade. You didn't need to defend me.' Kurama grumbled quietly.**_

'_Yeah I did, you're a misunderstood creature. If people would just understand then they wouldn't call you a demon.'_

'_**I'm still a demon, no matter what. That's something that will never change.'**_

'_At least you're a nice one.' Naruto laughed quietly._

'_**Get some sleep you baka.' Kurama chuckled.**_

Naruto sighed quietly, running a scared hand through his unruly hair. He wasn't sure what to make of his mind right now. It was playing tricks on him half the time. He wasn't sure what was real at times, but he attributed that to the lack of sleep he had suffered. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the pair of soft hands wrap around him.

"What's wrong?" Sakura quietly asked him, kissing his neck.

"I just can't sleep bad dreams again." Naruto simply replied.

"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered.

"You don't have to be. I've been dealing with them for a long time." Naruto answered.

"That doesn't mean that you didn't have to face them alone." Sakura reminded.

"It wasn't exactly like I knew you loved me though. I still thought you loved Sasuke." Naruto grasped her hand gently.

"I know you did, and I still regret not saying anything. But I want to show you and make it up to you. The bottle isn't how you deal with this pain, I've seen it firsthand." Sakura kissed his cheek.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked her closing his eyes.

"I've seen Tsunade drink once or twice quite heavily, drowning her sorrows over her own losses. I've seen her cry over them, especially Jiraiya. I don't want you making that same mistake. I don't want you going down that road." Sakura nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Sakura…" Naruto whispered.

"I'm just glad that I said something before it was too late. I don't want to lose you." Sakura whispered back, a few strand tears running down her eyes. Naruto grasped her hand tighter and leaned into her as he felt the tears.

"Don't cry Sakura." Naruto whispered.

"I can't help it." She answered back wiping them away.

"Why?" he asked her.

"I can't stand to see you hurt." Sakura answered him pulling back down onto the bed.

"You think that I like seeing you hurt?" Naruto asked her back. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I know you don't like it." Sakura responded.

"Then let's stop crying about it for a moment and enjoy this." Naruto suggested as he grasped her hand gently.

Sakura wondered just how much he was impacted by the sudden nature of their relationship. But was it the fact that she initiation it that made him more happy right now? She could only assume so as she felt her heart race slightly.

'_What if I had done something sooner? Could I have prevented this?' _Sakura thought with a sadden heart.

"Don't doubt yourself Sakura." Naruto blurted out, catching her off guard.

"What? How did you?" Sakura sputtered.

"I can tell by the way your body is reacting right now. You doubt either something, or you doubt yourself." Naruto explained.

"But…but…" she sputtered.

"You think that my training was just for strength? Sakura, my training had me learn how to sense problems or troubles in other people. Now tell me what's wrong." Naruto instructed.

"It's nothing, just a little thought about the past. I don't want to think about the past anymore, or at least not what could have been." Sakura replied kissing his cheek.

"I believe you, but don't doubt yourself or think about things like that." Naruto leaned onto her shoulder.

'_I thought he was the one that needed help. Yet I'm the one crying.'_ Sakura thought as she nuzzled closer to him. She placed a gentle kiss on his shoulder, and another on his neck.

She felt the need to keep pressing his lips to his skin, moving up to his cheek. The years of self-isolation, the pain that they both had endured from being apart, the nights of loneliness between them were slowly beginning to vanish and a new part of their lives were just starting. The attraction, the tension all of it built up yesterday and unleashed in a loved fuel night of wild sex. Now though, she felt the need to slow things down, take their time with this and make this second time more memorable than the first.

"Sakura?" Naruto whispered.

"Shh." Sakura whispered as she moved herself on top of him and lifted his shirt off of him. He didn't object as she threw it across the room and watched as she leaned down to kiss his chest, just over his heart. She leaned back up and gently kissed his lips, pulling back and smiled at him looking deep into his eyes.

"I need you Naruto." She whispered gently.

"I need you too Sakura." He whispered back gently, brushing a lock of her hair back before lowering his hands down. He ignored the ever presenting problem in his pants and grasped the hem of her loose shirt, or rather his shirt and lifted it off of her, revealing her bra covered breast. He leaned up and kissed just over her heart as well to return her gesture.

"I love you." He smiled pulling her down to him.

"I love you too. Now show me." She smiled back and the two began another passion filled night.

* * *

**A/N: Since the demand for another chapter was high, I went ahead and decided to make it into three parts since that's what I prefer to do. I may make it last longer, not sure on that yet seeing as this was intended as a one shot. But my finals are done, so now I have time to work on this and try to release some more chapters. I'm also working on something for Inuyasha that I hope to release soon.**


	3. Acceptance

"Uhhh…." Naruto groaned as he awoke from his semi-slumber. His involuntary sound and movement range through the bedroom and resounded back to him and to the woman sleeping next to him. He looked down at the clock to read that it was five minutes to three o' clock. He turned over onto his stomach and placed his arms underneath the pillow, crooking his neck slightly to stare at the back of the messy pink hair sleeping next to him who was beginning to wake as well.

"Naruto…what's wrong?" Sakura yawned out before turning around to see his blue eyes, even in the darkness that engulfed the room. Naruto shook his head and sighed quietly.

"I just can't sleep again." Naruto replied calmly as he looked back into her jade orbs. Sakura smiled sadly at him, lifting her hand to his cheek and grazing her fingertips lightly against his whisker marks.

'_At least he isn't screaming his sleep now. He's made some very good progress the last few weeks.'_

"Naruto, tell me what you dreamed about." Sakura told him as she leaned slightly so their messy hair was intertwined.

"I really don't want to." Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head on the pillow. Sakura sighed quietly and leaned over to his kiss forehead.

"Please Naruto?" Sakura pulled back and scooted closer to him, pressing her body against his. Again, Naruto shook his head.

"Please don't make me Sakura." Naruto replied back, wiping away his tears that were forming. Sakura sighed again as she looked at him with a somewhat disappointed look.

'_Still a work in progress though.'_

"Ok Naruto, I won't make you tell me unless you're ready. But remember, I've changed a lot of my habits and told you some of my fears as well. If I can do that _and _control some of my outbursts, then I know you can overcome your fears." Sakura smiled at him as she began to fall back asleep.

'_Damn it, why did she have to use the guilt trip routine?'_

"Sakura, please don't use the guilt trip as a means to an end." Naruto asked of her.

"I'm not Naruto, I'm just trying to help you is all. Listen, you've made such amazing progress the last three weeks, and we've taken it one step at a time. And that's what we'll continue to do, so if you don't want to talk about it right now, I understand. I still love you no matter what." Sakura smiled and kissed his lips gently.

'_She really knows how to pull my heart strings.'_

"I had a dream about you dying."

Sakura didn't react to what he said, not visibly anyway. But on the inside, she realized that he may have had this dream before.

"Actually, I saw you dying in multiple ways, all in a span of minutes, but it felt like the longest, torturous hours." Naruto admitted quietly, looking away.

"Tell me." Sakura pushed him further, resting her hand on his cheek. Naruto didn't respond for several minutes, but Sakura let him gather himself. It wasn't exactly easy to talk about the death of someone you loved, especially of what he probably dreamed of.

"It was a montage of them, I saw hundreds of ways you died, all because I couldn't protect you. Sasuke, Madara, Kabuto, each one in their one way took you from me, and I couldn't do anything about it. I saw you being crushed by rocks, metal beams, mountain sides, I saw you…I saw you die while you gave birth to our child." Naruto felt his tears flow freely as the haunting images rushed back to him. Sakura gently stroked his cheek and moved her way to his hair, raking it and his scalp in the same gentle way.

'_He's gone from war, to worry of my wellbeing.'_

"I promise you Naruto, I will not let that happen to me. And I promise you, I won't leave you to be alone again." Sakura whispered gently to him.

"I just feel evil for even dreaming of something so horrifying. I feel dirty for dreaming of your death in any way at all, but to include childbirth or Sasuke, it just…." Naruto cut himself off.

"Naruto, for what you've gone through, it makes sense that you would dream such things. You want to protect me now that we are together, more so than what you used to when we were still just friends. The dreams are understandable, even Sasuke. Those are the people that have hurt you the most and its fine. I don't love you any less because of it." Sakura smiled and pulled him closer to her body.

"But Sakura…" Naruto whispered.

"I know that you're scared. I know that you just want to protect me, but if anything happens, then it happens. That's what I've had to tell myself so many times when I had dreams like that. We are shinobi and how we live is a dangerous one. I promise you though, I have faith and I have a feeling I won't be dying for a long time...because it would mean not being with you." Sakura smiled and tucked his head underneath her chin.

"Sakura..." Naruto said with a sleep filled voice.

"Shh…go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, I promise." Sakura felt Naruto relax at her words and almost fell dead asleep just before she was done. A smile graced her lips as she felt sleep take her as well.

_**The following morning…**_

"Ok class, I have one more thing for you to learn today, a special assignment for you all." Sakura stated to the class of twelve medic-nin in training. The class had a collective groan in between them, but only caused Sakura to smile.

"Now don't act like that. You're all fifteen years old here, so act a little bit mature. Anyways, this assignment involves a special guest of mine for you to examine him. And believe me, he is a miracle of not only modern medicine, but divine intervention." Sakura explained with a smile.

'_**Divine intervention my ass. I'm the one that saves your life on a normal basis.' Kurama growled.**_

'_I know that, but what do you want me to do? She needed a volunteer and I offered. I figured it would help me get over some of my nightmares.' Naruto replied._

_**'How does this exactly help you get over your nightmares pray tell?'**  
_

_'I don't know, it just feels like it may help. I haven't exactly done anything other than sit around basically.'_

_**'Fair enough, but this had better help otherwise it's a waste of our time.'**_

_'It won't be, any besides, if Sakura isn't happy, I'm not happy and then you aren't happy.'_

'_**Still, I want some recognition.'**_

'_I'll be sure to give it to you, just keep it down ok?'_

'_**Sure, whatever.'**_

"Alright then, Naruto, you can come in." Sakura called from the classroom. Naruto sighed quietly and entered the room to silent whispers and gasps, and of course some longing eyes from a few of the female occupants in the room. He paid them no mind of course, and Sakura surprisingly did the same.

"Ok then class, specifically the female portion, don't ogle at my boyfriend because we are going to examine some the major injuries that he has on his body by identifying scars around him. Gather around us please in a circle. And again, I can't stress this enough, do, not, ogle him." Sakura pointed to the female members of the class as a warning. They nodded in response while the male occupants seemed to be unhappy with the presence of the savoir of the world stealing attention from them.

"Right then, Naruto, take off the shirt so we can see." Sakura instructed as the students shuffled around him and Sakura.

"Fine." Naruto grumbled and removed the shirt to reveal his well-trained body which was covered by a few scars. Some of the girls almost fainted at the sight before them, some of them due to his scars, others to the well trained body presented before them.

"Now then, we know that when a person is cut deeply and requires stitches that a scar can be left behind as result. But, with proper healing procedures, we can heal those injuries and not leave a scar." Sakura explained.

"But why does he have scars that remain on his body?" One of the female students questioned.

"Those are injuries that I was not able to heal before I learned to be a medic-nin. Those injuries are a result of Naruto here being a brave shinobi and willing to take a lot punishment in order to finish the mission. But also because of his families special chakra, not to mention that of the Kyuubi, or rather Kurama, he can often heal minor injuries and not leave a scar behind." Sakura explained.

'_See? You got some credit and I didn't have to say anything.'_

'_**I'm so touched.'**_

'_Shut up you big fuzz ball.' Naruto laughed, with Kurama joining him momentarily._

"However, the more severe injuries could not be properly healed and are due to part of other factors I will not go into as they are more personal." Sakura explained further.

"Like the one right there just above his heart?" one male student commented. Naruto's eyes widen momentarily before he sullenly looked down, remembering exactly what _that _scar represented. Sakura almost hissed at the statement because she too knew what that scar meant to him.

"Yes, just like that one. It's a scar that today could be healed all the way if chosen to with advancements we've made in the last few years." Sakura explained, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Then why hasn't he opted to heal it?" another female student questioned.

"That's not important to you and it's personal. I'm explaining to you…." Sakura was interrupted as Naruto raised his hand in a gesture for her to stop.

"No, let me explain it. I need to get this off my chest anyway." Naruto sighed quietly. The students gathered around him closer, eager to hear a tale from the great Naruto Uzumaki.

"This scar here is one that reminds me of a past failure, a failure to save a friend close to me. This scar is personal because it's was the first one that I actually chose to not have healed, to remind me of his memory and to remind me that I have more than one person to fight for. I have Sakura here beside me to fight for, but I also have him as well to remember to fight for." Naruto placed a hand over his heart.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"This scar represents many things, a lost friend, and a reason to keep fighting, and a reason for peace. Every scar on my body is an injury that couldn't be healed, but this scar was one that could be healed, but I refuse, to always remind me of what I fight for. A better world for medic-nin, for shinobi like you so you don't have to fight and can have families."

Naruto's short speech left a few of the medic-nin in tears while the others silently reflected in what he said. Sakura wasn't sure what to expect of this, but she felt that it was something that he needed to say not just to her, but others around him, to these young minds to understand what it meant to be a shinobi. Now he just needed to talk to Tsunade, like she had done.

"I think that's all for today class. Instead of studying your books, I want you all to reflect on what Naruto has said to you. I'm sure you've been told this by all of your sensei, but I want you all to think about what or who you are doing this for. Dismissed." Sakura instructed. The class nodded, some wiping away their tears and bowing before Naruto. He smiled at them all as he pulled his shirt back on.

"Don't cry for me, understand my words and what they mean, just like your teacher says to. If you do well enough, I may show you a few of my tricks as well." Naruto smirked.

"Yes Naruto-sama." The class replied in unison as they took their leave, whispering about the supposed stories behind the man they had just witnessed. Once the last of the class left, Sakura turned to Naruto with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done this to you." Sakura stated wiping her own eyes, solemn at her mistake.

"No, no, don't be sorry. I think this is something I needed anyway. But it still doesn't mean that I don't forget about the scar I inflicted on you." Naruto replied, lightly grasping her elbow, remembering what he had done to her years ago as he gently rubbed it.

"It's barely there anymore. Don't be sorry for that Naruto, please don't." Sakura begged him as she rested herself against his body.

"But I can't help but wonder." Naruto replied.

"You won't, never again, not with Kurama finally understanding you and accepting you. You won't, I promise." Sakura assured him.

"But Sakura…"

"No, no 'but's'. Come on, I think it's time you had a talk with someone to help you finally get through this." Sakura pulled back and dragged him out of the classroom.

"Who are you talking about?" Naruto asked, stumbling along.

"You'll find out soon enough."

_**Later…**_

"So if I'm following you correctly, the two additional weeks I've given you have allowed you to go from dreaming of war to dreaming of Sakura's death." Tsunade said to try and understand what Naruto was trying to tell her. Naruto nodded nervously, wishing that Tsunade had not made Sakura wait outside while the two had a private conversation about last night, at Sakura's instance.

"Great…Déjà vu all over again." Tsunade sighed quietly pulling out a bottle of cold green tea and two small cups, handing one over to Naruto.

"What are you doing Granny?" Naruto asked innocently as she opened the bottle and poured some of the tea into his cup. Tsunade smiled at her nickname.

"Twenty years old and you still call me that, at least all this depression you've been suffering hasn't changed some of your habits." Tsunade laughed pouring her own tea.

"I thought I'd made some good progress, or at least Sakura says so." Naruto pouted drinking some of his tea.

"Oh, you have. You haven't had as many recurring nightmares have you right?" Tsunade asked. Naruto shook his head in response.

"Well that's good, and the ones you have aren't about the war anymore, it's now about protecting Sakura." Tsunade added taking a sip of her tea.

"Yes?" Naruto replied slightly confused.

"That's the natural reaction to a shinobi falling in love, something that is not what we are trained to not do. But the human heart is a fickle thing and we sometimes can't help it. Sakura experienced the same thing two years ago when she fully realized she loved you and she came to me with the same problem." Tsunade explained calmly.

"She had the same problem with me? She never told me, she only said she had nightmares." Naruto looked down at his cup with a solemn look. Tsunade smiled at that statement.

"Of course she did. Some days she would come crying into my office with her own nightmares." Tsunade explained calmly.

"What?" Naruto lifted his head.

"Well, I never said she was fully prepared to help you, but she was the best person for the job as she had the same dreams you're having. She probably didn't want to tell you because you would worry about her more than you already are." Tsunade explained. Naruto didn't respond to her words, still lost in his own thoughts.

"Don't take it the wrong way Naruto. She's more worried about you than you are about her. She still has some of the nightmares as well, but they are far and few in between. And it's because of what I told her and what I'm going to tell you." Tsunade explained taking another sip of her tea. Naruto picked his head up slightly, hoping the same words would help him.

"First of all, the network that you have helped build has created an unprecedented peace across the five major shinobi nations. The only things we have to worry about are the standard mercenary business organizations and some small uprisings that quite frankly are being quelled by are standard shinobi." Tsunade complemented the young man.

"Thanks, I'm just doing what needs to be done to honor Jiraiya and my father." Naruto smiled taking a sip of his tea.

"And you've done an amazing job of it. But second, because of that peace, it means that you shouldn't worry as much about Sakura. Believe me, I understand your fears because of my own past as you know, but my generation was different. Peace was something we never even conceived of, but we are seeing it now, because of you." Tsunade said, setting her cup down on the desk and pouring more tea into it.

"But it still doesn't help me get over my nightmares." Naruto said quietly.

"Naruto, we all have nightmares about losing the ones we love at some point. Because we are shinobi, we are trained to not love, but when we do, we begin to realize the dangers that come with it. When I lost my brother, I was lost for a long time until I found Dan. Then when I lost him, I didn't care anymore. I had nightmares about him for a long time. Then when I…we lost Jiraiya, the nightmares came back again and they were of him. I still have my own nightmares and sorrows to live with, my own regrets, but there is something that gets me through it all to see the next day before me."

"What?" Naruto looked at her as Tsunade closed her eyes, both forgetting about the cold tea in their hands.

"I think about how I can make sure you and Sakura don't make the same mistakes I made. I'm happy neither of you went without knowing each other's love, I'm happy to know that this peace is real this time, that you won't suffer the same fate as me or Jiraiya did. But you two have more life ahead of you both. I know this in my heart. I want you two to share as much time as you can with each other. I want you to understand the way we live as shinobi is always dangerous, and that we need to take comfort into each other, especially the loves we fall in love with. Kurenai can attest to that." Tsunade spoke quietly before she stood and knelt before Naruto. Naruto looked up into her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't live in the if's or but's, or they could happen. Live in the present, live with love and be with Sakura."

Naruto sniffled a little before wiping his eyes and smiling at her with tender ones.

"Thank you Tsunade." Naruto replied as he felt himself pulled into a hug, accepting it and returning it. Tsunade felt a few tears stray from her eyes as she hugged him, giving all the love she had to him to show he had nothing to fear. She pulled back and looked him square in the eyes.

"She's waiting outside. Go and spend the week with her, begin to fully appreciate what you have, because you never know when it may be gone. That's the life we live as shinobi, but we can still love all the same."

Naruto nodded and smiled as he rose from his seat and made his way to the door. He turned back one more time and gave her a look of 'thank you' and a smile before he opened the door and left Tsunade alone, smiling as well. Naruto turned to his left to find Sakura standing there, eagerly awaiting for Naruto come out.

"Naruto, how did it…mmph!" Sakura was cut off as Naruto passionately pressed his lips to hers,with any thought causing her to arch into him and moan into his lips. Her hands instantly went up to his neck and hair, weaving their way into the locks as his hands rested on her hips. The intimate moment ended quickly as Naruto pulled back and smiled widely at her gleaming eyes.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just think about us, to enjoy each other. I have another week off and I don't want to do anything but be with you." Naruto smiled as she embraced her with everything he had. Sakura smiled and returned it, letting her head fall onto his shoulder and took in the familiar warmth and innocence that had returned to him. She knew that it was different, that for whatever reason, she could just sense it. She loved it and she wouldn't let it go away ever again.

Her Naruto was back.

_**One year later…**_

The sun glistened off of the golden wedding band on her finger as she drank some of her iced tea. Yes, it was just another normal conversation that Sakura and Ino were having on any other normal day. The conversation fell from many areas, clothing, lipstick, personal moments, the latter not being a favorite of Sakura's.

"I just wish you wouldn't try and pry into mine and Naruto's bedroom life." Sakura sighed sipping her tea lightly.

"Oh come on Forehead." Ino sighed, smiling and shaking her head.

"What? I don't like talking about that part of my life with you, especially in public." Sakura shrugged and smirked.

"At least you aren't as defensive as you used to be. But still, why won't you talk to me about him? You've never told me if he was amazing in bed…unless he wasn't." Ino smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, fine, you _really _want to know about my personal affairs so badly you Pig?" Sakura sighed and set her glass down, tired of playing this game, but more about rubbing it in her friend's face.

"Yes, this type of gossip is just something that I _have _to know!" Ino squealed in delight.

"Ino, I'm only telling you because you want to know so badly and you refuse to stop badgering me about it. But so help me, if you _ever _tell _anyone _about this, a spread this around, I swear on mine, Naruto's and Sasuke's graves, I will cut off all of your precious hair and sell it to the perverts around the corner from the bar on the other side of the village, do you understand?" Sakura growled menacingly.

"Yes, yes, I swear." Ino laughed nervously, knowing full well Sakura could very well do such a thing.

"Good, because it's hard enough to keep some of the loose women off of him as it is." Sakura sighed again before leaning over and whispering into Ino's ear for about a minute. The blond pulled back with a loud gasp.

"He's _all of that_?" Ino whispered loudly, trying to keep herself under control. Sakura smirked with closed eyes and nodded.

"No wonder you've changed so much in the last year." Ino exclaimed and leaned back into her chair.

"Well, marriage and true love will do that to you. You should try it sometime." Sakura smiled opening her eyes again.

"True love my ass, if I had _that, _I'd be just as happy as you. And to think I almost went after him myself. Damn it! You just had to have him didn't you?" Ino groaned in annoyance at her missed opportunity.

"What can I say? He loved me for over ten years, when I finally realized it myself what was right in front of me the whole time, I took him. To think that it all started on that bench when he henged as Sasuke." Sakura reminisced about the moment.

"Still, _that _big and all that stamina? Ah! It just makes me sick knowing you have him and the rest of us women don't!" Ino stomped her feet.

"Like you had a chance with him anyways. But hey, you can always go after Shikamaru or Choji." Sakura laughed.

"Shut up Forehead, Shikamaru is lazy and Choji, well maybe, I don't know right now." Ino sighed sipping from her glass.

"You'll find it soon enough, trust me. But as for me, well I have some big news to give him today as well, and it's really making me nervous." Sakura replied setting her glass to her lips and taking another sip.

"Big news? Well you can't leave me hanging on that Forehead. Come on, spill it." Ino motioned with her hands to give her the big scoop.

"I can't, I wanted to tell Naruto first." Sakura set her drink down leaned in on her elbows on the table.

"Nope, not this time. You kept your bedroom life secret for a long time. You're not keeping this from me now. Tell me, or I'll spread that nice bit of info to all the ladies around town." Ino grinned evilly.

"Ino, you wouldn't dare. Remember your hair." Sakura felt a vein throb in her forehead.

"I don't care about that, my hair will grow back and those pervs won't have me anyway. But this, I can tell just by your reaction that this is BIG news. Now spill it or else." Ino glared evilly with a wicked smile.

"Damn you, fine. Come here you bitch." Sakura grumbled as she grabbed Ino's arm and pulled her over, Sakura whispering the news to Ino. The blond pulled back and fought to hold back her squeal of excitement.

"I can't believe it! You mean that…"

"Yes Ino, it's true. But tell no one else! I want Naruto to know next, after that, you can tell the whole world." Sakura sighed, but had a smiled adorn her face.

"When is he due back?" Ino asked eagerly.

"He should be home right now actually. It was a simple mission so he should be home. He was due to return at seven this morning, and of course the debriefing and what not, especially when he's almost the Hokage." Sakura counted the list on her fingers.

"Well go tell him then! He deserves to know!" Ino urged her.

"Calm down Ino, I only found out a few days ago. I'm still calming my own nerves about it." Sakura explained.

"Forehead, it's been a year since I urged you to tell him how you felt and look at what state he was in. I will drag you there if I have to." Ino cracked her knuckles.

"Like you could hurt me." Sakura scoffed.

"Fine, then I'll tell him." Ino smirked back as she motioned to moved from her seat, ready to take off.

"DON'T! ARGH! FINE, I'LL TELL HIM!" Sakura pushed the chair back with her legs.

"I knew you'd see it my way." Ino laughed crossing her arms.

"Ino, I swear I'm going to kill you one day. But at least I can always make you jealous with that nice little bit of knowledge I mentioned earlier. I wish I had talked about the bedroom sooner." Sakura smirked.

"Shut up and go tell him." Ino pouted remembering those details. Sakura laughed as she waved good bye to Ino, racing off to her home and with the big news.

"Stupid Forehead. Kami, how come she gets a man like that? Damn her, and I can't even try to seduce him without feeling some guilt." Ino mumbled underneath her breath sipping more of her tea.

"Naruto! Are you home?" Sakura burst through the door of their home.

"Yeah Sakura, I'm in the living room." Naruto called out with a loud yawn. Sakura turned on her heel down the hallway to find Naruto relaxing on their couch. She smiled with half laden eyes, walking over and leaning over to kiss him gently.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked him. Instead of an answer, she felt herself pulled down on top of him as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Of course not, just resting right now." Naruto smiled and kissed her this time.

She giggled at the movement and the close contact. He really had made such a huge improvement in his attitude in the last year, especially when he had proposed to her. That day, she sensed the change in him, the full change back to the man he had once been. For a while, she had thought it was the talk he had with Tsunade, but she truly saw it when that ring went on her finger.

"When did you get back?" Sakura mumbled against his chest.

"About seven this morning like I said, and after all the boring stuff, debriefing and all that. I actually just got home thirty minutes ago and basically have been waiting for you." Naruto replied as he rubbed her back gently.

"Sorry, I was talking to Ino about some things since it was my day off. How was the mission anyways?" Sakura leaned up and smiled at him.

"Nothing serious, just a talk with Gaara and dispatching a few mercs. Nothing too serious at all, by the way, Gaara says hi." Naruto replied.

"I'll be sure to say the same thing the next time I see him." Sakura replied leaning up further and kissing his neck gently, nibbling it and sucking lightly.

"Sakura…" Naruto laughed, enjoying the sensation of her lips.

"What? I'm not allowed to have a little fun after not seeing you for a few days?" Sakura questioned with a mock glare.

"No, not that, I'm just surprised, you're usually not this…active when I get home." Naruto commented as he kissed her gently.

"Well, let's just say that I'm in an especially good mood." Sakura smiled sweetly.

"Why is that then? Something good happen?" Naruto asked her. Sakura nodded her head in response.

"It happened just after you left." Sakura replied quietly, grasping his hand gently.

"Really, well what happened that's kept you in such a good mood while I was away?" Naruto asked wearingly.

"Before I tell you, I have to ask you something." Sakura replied. Naruto simply nodded in response.

"Do you remember when I told you I loved you, how you felt?" Sakura asked him.

"Of course, I remember that it lifted the heavy hold on my heart and it helped lift my spirits. I never had felt such elation." Naruto answered.

"And you remember the conversation you had with Tsunade, do you remember how it made you feel?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I remember that I finally began to realize that I had something special in front of me. And I truly realized it when I proposed to you, and when you said yes. I finally felt like all the pain had left my shoulders and knew that there was nothing left for me to feel sorry for. I was done feeling sorry for myself." He answered back.

"Just one more question." Sakura replied, grasping his hand tighter, something Naruto took notice of.

"Sakura, something is really on your mind, just tell me." Naruto replied. Sakura shook her head.

"Not yet, I need to say something instead." Sakura replied. Naruto nodded in silence.

"When I had the talk with Tsunade and realized that I needed to say something to you. But I found myself so lost in trying that I just couldn't. And you suffered for it. I don't want to think of what would have happened to you if I didn't. I've changed the person I am since then. I'm still the same hot headed girl you remember, but I'm a mature woman as well. I'm confident, strong, and not afraid like I was. You changed me Naruto, into someone that I never thought I could be."

"Sakura…"

"Naruto, please let me finish."

Naruto nodded his head.

"Saying all that, I am nervous in saying this, but I'm still confident in how you'll respond. I still remember the night that you told me about your nightmare, about me dying in childbirth. And I thought about that for a while, how it scared you. Well to be honest, it scared me too, but I think it's something that won't happen, because when that day comes, our son or daughter will carry your blood, the blood of an Uzumaki. And Uzumaki's never quit, that's why I took that name when I married you, to share my soul with you." Sakura spoke with care in her voice as tears made their way down her cheeks.

"Sakura, what are you saying?" Naruto lifted himself and Sakura so that they were seated. Sakura lifted her hand and placed her palm against his cheek, stroking his whiskers gently, just like that night.

"Naruto, you dreamt of life ending that night, but I dreamt of life beginning that night. I felt something change in us that night that would help us move forward. You always wanted parents growing up, but they couldn't be there for you. But I know that we'll be there for our children and that I'm happy to be the one to give you a family of your own." Sakura gently grasped his hand again and led it to her belly, leading it underneath her shirt, happy tears streaming down her face, a smile adorning it.

"Naruto, we're going to have a baby."

Naruto couldn't find the words to say anything. He was shocked, beyond shocked. But when the realization finally hit him, he smiled, tears flowing down his face. He instantly embraced her and sobbed on her shoulder, Sakura doing the same.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream." Naruto sobbed out as he pulled back to look into her eyes. Sakura shook her head and kept smiling.

"No, it's not Naruto. You're going to be a daddy." Sakura sniffled out as she wiped her eyes.

"And you, a mommy." Naruto sobbed out, but continued to smile

Sakura nodded as the tears still flowed down both their faces. Naruto leant down a lifted her shirt slightly, kissing her belly and placing their bodies gently down on the couch. Naruto placed his head gently on her belly and cried quietly, never feeling so happy in his life.

Sakura watched as her husband cried tears of joy and raked his hair. She herself still couldn't believe it, but she couldn't be happier. A year ago, Naruto was in a state of depression and she was realizing her own feelings for him, beginning to feel her own confidence grow.

Now a year had passed, he was happy like he used to be, she was happier than anyone else before this, but now, she was carrying their child, a child that perhaps they would name after Naruto's parents, or their own unique name. It didn't matter right now, she was just happy that they were happy.

Naruto leaned himself from her belly and looked back into her eyes, a smile on his face with tear laden cheeks.

"I love you." He said leaning down and kissing her passionately before pulling back.

"I love you too, my Naruto." Sakura graced his cheek again and pulled him back down for another kiss, the first of many that night and into an unknown, but surely happy future.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**A/N: And this is the conclusion to this story. No, unless I have a REAL good reason to go past this, I won't. I feel that each part did what it was meant to do in terms of theme as the title of each chapter describes. Now, if there's something I can use here to continue, not including the child on the way with Naruto and Sakura, I doubt it will move on past this. But, I may use this as a template for another story once Naruto officially ends and we all know what happens. Until then, we'll see. Hope you enjoyed it all.**


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